I. History Behind the Revival of the Modern Olympic Games
Pierre de Coubertin, founder of 1896 Olympics
“Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will, and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.” -Pierre de Coubertin History of the Olympic Games
After attending a series of Olympian festivals across Europe, Pierre de Coubertin, a well affluent French aristocrat and founder of the modern-day Olympic Games, was inspired to start a campaign to revive the ancient Greek games. So, on June 18th, 1894, Coubertin met with eleven representatives from different nations in Paris. Coubertin proposed his ideas of Olympism to them. During that meeting, some alterations were made to his proposal and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was established.
Some of the ideas on Coubertin’s platform for his proposal were to originally revive the games in 1900, for obvious reasons. The other international representatives disagreed citing they did not want make the world wait. Instead, the games were organized to be held less than two years after their meeting. However, the debate for the prime host city to appropriately introduce the Olympics to the international venue was a problem. In Coubertin’s proposal, he vied for London as the first host city. Demetrius Vikelas, an unknown Greek representative at the time, clashed with Coubertin to allow Greece to host its ancient traditions. On June 23rd, 1894, Vikelas officially announced to Greece that the games will be held at their famed Panathinaiko stadium.
So, the first modern Olympic Games were held. A total of two hundred forty-one athletes from fourteen nations competed in forty-three events in nine individual sports. The games took place beginning on April 6th, 1896 and ending April 15tth, 1896.
Financial Troubles
However, getting to finance a large event was troublesome for an economically and politically weak Greece. Coubertin consulted the Crown Prince Constantine who agreed to motivate his country. When they calculated how much the games were going to cost, everything added up to 3,740,000 gold drachmas ($448,800.) Vikelas, who came to be known widely as the IOC’s first president, developed multiple ways of funding to generate money. He cleverly manipulated the Crown Prince Constantine’s motivation of the public; both he and Crown Prince Constantine taxed the Greek postage stamp and sold stadium tickets; then, Crown Prince Constantine asked one of Greek’s wealthiest philanthropists, George Averoff, to donate the remaining amount.
Rules
As one of the IOC’s first implemented regulations, athletes taking part in the games had to be amateurs except in fencing. Athletes had to pay their own way to Athens. Since there was no housing for the athletes, they had to find their own. Women were not allowed to compete. Combing through other sporting handbooks, the IOC borrowed the ideas of final referee, jury (a group of judges), and game director.
II. Sports
Track and Field
Events were held in Panathenaic Stadium
The American team won 9 out of the 12 titles
the first marathon was won by Spiridon Louis from Greece
the track had tight curves so it made running fast on the track much harder
Events
100m
400m
800m
1500m
110m (hurdles)
marathon
high jump
pole vault
triple jump
shot put
discus throwing
Gymnastics
Held on the infield of the Panathenaic Stadium
Germany won the event with 5 out of 8 victories
The three German champions were Schumann, Flatow, and Weingarter
Events
Parallel Bars Individual
Parallel Bars Team
Horizontal bar team
Horizontal bar individual
Horse vault
Rings
Pommel horse
Rope Climbing
Fencing
The fencing events were held in the Zappeion.
Events
Invdividual foil
Master's foil
Sabre
Swimming
Held in the open sea in the Bay of Zea, off the Piraeus coast
Nearly 20,000 spectators
Alfréd Hajós swept the field but could only compete in two out of the four events
Events
100 meter freestyle
500 meter freestyle
won by Austrian Paul Neumann
1200 meter freestyle
Sailors' 100 meter freestyle
Shooting
Was held at a shooting range in Kallithea
Events
Free Rifle 200 meter
won by Pantelis Karasevdas
Free Rifle 300 meter
Rapid-fire pistol 25 meter
won by Jonannis Phrangoudis
Military Revolver 25 meter
dominated by John and Sumner Paine (American brothers)
Free pistol 50 meter
Tennis
held on the Athens Lawn Tennis Club, and the infield of the velodrome
none of the top tennis players at the time showed up in Athens
Irishman John Pius Boland won who happened to be in town on vacation and won relatively easily
Events
Singles
Doubles
<---sexy! Weightlifting
was still a very young sport in 1896
One-arm lifts
Launcestion Elliot won
Two-arm lifts
Launceston Elliot and Viggo Jensen both lifted the same weight but judges ruled that Jensen did it in better style so he won
Cycling
Events were held in the Neo Phaliron Velodrome
Only one road event was held from Athens to Marathon and back (87 km)
Paul Masson, a Frenchman, was the overall fastest man on the track
Events
Sprint
2000 meter
10,000 meter
100 kilometer
12 hour track
Marathon (87 km)
Wrestling
was held in the Panathenaic Stadium
no weight classes
all contestants were previously entered in other sport events
Carl Schuhmann was declared the winner
III. Impact of the 1896 Olympics
The effect of the 1896 Olympics left so many different marks on the world from the establishment of sister Olympic sporting events to the Olympic symbols to its international commercial success. However, this did not happen immediately following the first Olympiad games; instead, the games suffered a ten year slump. So, in 1906, two years after the third Olympiad games, Pierre de Coubertin and many National Olympic Committees (NOCs) decided to hold an intercalated multi-sporting event to promote the Olympics to the world stage. The ploy worked sparking a huge interest in the international public. Due to the Olympics revived fame, this lead to the creation of the Winter Olympics in 1924, the Paralympics in 1960, and the future Youth Olympics in 2010.
During the latter half of the 20th century, the Olympic Games further harmonized the international community. The 1936 Olympics were aired locally on German televisions. As the result of a commercial success with the German public, the IOC purchased the copyrights to the Olympics. In the future, this would allow unlimited worldwide exposure to the games. In turn, the Olympic budget quietly expanded over the years ultimately mounting to a record $225 million surplus during the 1984 Olympic Games.
Lastly, the international community in combination with the IOC formed the Olympic Movement. This campaign protects the sacred symbols and tradition of the Olympics. These traditional practices were not all introduced at the first games. Two of the very first Olympics emblems were debuted at the 1920 Olympic Games. They were interlocking rings which represents the five continents and Olympic motto, “Citius, Altius, Fortius,” translated is “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” The Olympic Village was created during the 1924 Olympics. The Olympic flame was introduced at the 1928 Olympic Games. Twelve years later, Nazi Germany expanded the Olympic flame’s role into the Olympic torch relay to promote worldwide knowledge and symbolize our connection to one another. Mascots were the last tradition was established at the 1968 Olympic Games.
As of 2008, 10,500 athletes from 204 countries competed which is the biggest Olympic gathering yet.
Overall, the Olympics continue to make a lasting global effect. Some of those other effects include a newfound role of politics during the games, new and old sports re-introduced such as curling during 2010 Winter Olympics, and an established balance between amateurs and professional athletes. Pierre de Coubertin’s visionary quest to insert peace in the international community has come true and ever continues to endure.
Games of the I Oympiad
I. History Behind the Revival of the Modern Olympic Games
“Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will, and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.”
-Pierre de Coubertin
History of the Olympic Games
After attending a series of Olympian festivals across Europe, Pierre de Coubertin, a well affluent French aristocrat and founder of the modern-day Olympic Games, was inspired to start a campaign to revive the ancient Greek games. So, on June 18th, 1894, Coubertin met with eleven representatives from different nations in Paris. Coubertin proposed his ideas of Olympism to them. During that meeting, some alterations were made to his proposal and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was established.
Some of the ideas on Coubertin’s platform for his proposal were to originally revive the games in 1900, for obvious reasons. The other international representatives disagreed citing they did not want make the world wait. Instead, the games were organized to be held less than two years after their meeting. However, the debate for the prime host city to appropriately introduce the Olympics to the international venue was a problem. In Coubertin’s proposal, he vied for London as the first host city. Demetrius Vikelas, an unknown Greek representative at the time, clashed with Coubertin to allow Greece to host its ancient traditions. On June 23rd, 1894, Vikelas officially announced to Greece that the games will be held at their famed Panathinaiko stadium.
So, the first modern Olympic Games were held. A total of two hundred forty-one athletes from fourteen nations competed in forty-three events in nine individual sports. The games took place beginning on April 6th, 1896 and ending April 15tth, 1896.
Financial Troubles
However, getting to finance a large event was troublesome for an economically and politically weak Greece. Coubertin consulted the Crown Prince Constantine who agreed to motivate his country. When they calculated how much the games were going to cost, everything added up to 3,740,000 gold drachmas ($448,800.) Vikelas, who came to be known widely as the IOC’s first president, developed multiple ways of funding to generate money. He cleverly manipulated the Crown Prince Constantine’s motivation of the public; both he and Crown Prince Constantine taxed the Greek postage stamp and sold stadium tickets; then, Crown Prince Constantine asked one of Greek’s wealthiest philanthropists, George Averoff, to donate the remaining amount.
Rules
As one of the IOC’s first implemented regulations, athletes taking part in the games had to be amateurs except in fencing. Athletes had to pay their own way to Athens. Since there was no housing for the athletes, they had to find their own. Women were not allowed to compete. Combing through other sporting handbooks, the IOC borrowed the ideas of final referee, jury (a group of judges), and game director.
II. Sports
Track and Field
Gymnastics
Fencing
Swimming
Shooting
Tennis
Weightlifting
Cycling
Wrestling
III. Impact of the 1896 Olympics
The effect of the 1896 Olympics left so many different marks on the world from the establishment of sister Olympic sporting events to the Olympic symbols to its international commercial success. However, this did not happen immediately following the first Olympiad games; instead, the games suffered a ten year slump. So, in 1906, two years after the third Olympiad games, Pierre de Coubertin and many National Olympic Committees (NOCs) decided to hold an intercalated multi-sporting event to promote the Olympics to the world stage. The ploy worked sparking a huge interest in the international public. Due to the Olympics revived fame, this lead to the creation of the Winter Olympics in 1924, the Paralympics in 1960, and the future Youth Olympics in 2010.
During the latter half of the 20th century, the Olympic Games further harmonized the international community. The 1936 Olympics were aired locally on German televisions. As the result of a commercial success with the German public, the IOC purchased the copyrights to the Olympics. In the future, this would allow unlimited worldwide exposure to the games. In turn, the Olympic budget quietly expanded over the years ultimately mounting to a record $225 million surplus during the 1984 Olympic Games.
Lastly, the international community in combination with the IOC formed the Olympic Movement. This campaign protects the sacred symbols and tradition of the Olympics. These traditional practices were not all introduced at the first games. Two of the very first Olympics emblems were debuted at the 1920 Olympic Games. They were interlocking rings which represents the five continents and Olympic motto, “Citius, Altius, Fortius,” translated is “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” The Olympic Village was created during the 1924 Olympics. The Olympic flame was introduced at the 1928 Olympic Games. Twelve years later, Nazi Germany expanded the Olympic flame’s role into the Olympic torch relay to promote worldwide knowledge and symbolize our connection to one another. Mascots were the last tradition was established at the 1968 Olympic Games.
As of 2008, 10,500 athletes from 204 countries competed which is the biggest Olympic gathering yet.
Overall, the Olympics continue to make a lasting global effect. Some of those other effects include a newfound role of politics during the games, new and old sports re-introduced such as curling during 2010 Winter Olympics, and an established balance between amateurs and professional athletes. Pierre de Coubertin’s visionary quest to insert peace in the international community has come true and ever continues to endure.
Sources
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Muller, Norbert. Pierre de Coubertin, Olympism, Selected Writings. Switzerland: International Olympic Committee, 2000. Print.
Wallechinsky, David. Sports Illustrated Presents the Complete Book of the Summer Olympics. 1996 ed. Canada: Little, Brown, & Company, 1996. Print.
Rosenburg, Jennifer. About.com: 20th Century History. About.com: Guide. Web. 21 March 2010. http://history1900s.about.com/od/fadsfashion/a/olympicshistory.htm
Journal E: Olympic History. Kodak. 21 March 2010. http://www.musarium.com/kodak/olympics/olympichistory/
Olympism in Action. International Olympic Committee. 21 March 2010. http://www.olympic.org/en/content/Olympism-in-Action/
1896 Olympic Games Official Report. AvantiLogic.com. 21 March 2010. http://www.pe04.com/olympic/athens1896/report_1896.php
The First Summer Olympic Games. 21 March 2010. http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/sports/summer_olympics_first1.htm
Zarnowski, Frank. A Look at Olympic Costs. International Journal of Olympic History, 1993. 21 March 2010. http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:mcr2ER-AnnIJ:faculty.msmary.edu/Zarnowski/Publications%2520and%2520Pres/A%2520LOOK%2520AT%2520OLYMPIC%2520COSTS.doc+how+much+is+3,740,000+gold+drachmas+worth+in+US+dollars%3F&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
Pierre de Coubertin. 2001. The International Pierre de Coubertin Committee, Switzerland. Web. 21 March 2010. http://www.web-libre.org/medias/img/articles/49af6c4e558a7569d80eee2e035e2bd7-2.jpg